Guide updated August 2026
Moving to
Manchester, TN
“Bonnaroo's hometown — small-town Coffee County living on the I-24 line between Nashville and Chattanooga”
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The quick answer
Manchester is the Coffee County seat on I-24, midway between Nashville and Chattanooga and about an hour from downtown, with a median home price of $325,000 and inventory from $240,000 to $470,000+. It hosts the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and the Old Stone Fort archaeological site. The economy leans on manufacturing, logistics, and the nearby Arnold Engineering Development Complex.
Complete Guide to Manchester, Tennessee
Manchester is the county seat of Coffee County, with a 2020 census population of 12,213 (estimated near 14,000 by 2026), sitting right on Interstate 24 about midway between Nashville and Chattanooga. The town is best known nationally as the host city of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, held each June on a nearby farm, during which the local population temporarily swells toward 100,000. Day to day, Manchester has a sparse, small-town feel where most residents own their homes, anchored by a historic town square, the Little Duck River Greenway, Fred Deadman Park, and Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park. The local economy leans on advanced manufacturing, logistics, and the nearby Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), a major aerospace and defense testing installation; other employers include Coffee County industrial-park firms. Most homes inside Manchester are zoned to Manchester City Schools for the elementary and middle grades and to Coffee County Schools (Coffee County Central High School) for high school. For out-of-state movers, it offers lower home prices than the Nashville core in exchange for a genuine commute of roughly an hour each way.
What's changing in Manchester
Updated June 2026Little Leaf Farms' $75M Greenhouse Campus Is the Marquee Project Reshaping Manchester
Little Leaf Farms, the controlled-environment lettuce grower, selected Manchester for its first Tennessee location and third campus overall — a nearly $75 million, 215-acre project at the Manchester Industrial Park that will create 318 jobs and become the company's largest indoor leafy-greens facility, with construction underway and an anticipated opening in fall 2026.
The standout current development in Manchester, Coffee County, is the Little Leaf Farms Tennessee campus, announced June 30, 2025 by the company and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD). It is Little Leaf Farms' first Tennessee location and its third campus overall, joining existing operations in Massachusetts (where the company was founded) and Pennsylvania.
Scope and size: The project sits on a 215-acre campus at the Manchester Industrial Park. The initial build is 40 acres of greenhouses under glass, with a stated option to expand to 80 acres. Reported land transactions tied to the company's industrial-park footprint involve roughly 115 acres of sale-and-lease activity. The investment figure cited by the state and company is nearly $75 million.
Jobs: TNECD and the company put job creation at 318 new jobs over five years (some early local coverage rounded this to '300 jobs').
What it produces: The facility uses controlled environment agriculture (CEA) — hydroponic, greenhouse-grown packaged leafy greens (baby lettuce) produced year-round using captured rainwater and natural sunlight. The company states the Tennessee campus will more than double its production capacity and become the largest indoor leafy-greens facility in North America, with output capable of serving the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas markets.
Developer/builder: Little Leaf Farms (founder and CEO Paul Sellew) is the project owner. The greenhouse build is being delivered by VB, a Dutch turnkey greenhouse provider that has partnered with Little Leaf Farms since its founding.
Timeline and status: Financing was reported as already in place at announcement. Construction was set to begin in summer 2025, with an anticipated launch in fall 2026. As of mid-2026 the project is in active construction toward that fall 2026 target.
Public support: The State of Tennessee and local economic-development partners supported the project. Separately, in January 2025 the Industrial Board of Coffee County was awarded $1,610,450 in TNECD Site Development Grant funding to enhance infrastructure at the Manchester Industrial Park, the same park where Little Leaf Farms is locating.
Context — other Manchester Industrial Park activity (smaller than Little Leaf Farms): Aspen Technologies announced a polyurethane foam molding plant ($5.1 million investment, 161 jobs over five years); Dot Foods opened a redistribution facility at 600 Manchester Industrial Parkway with a ribbon-cutting on July 30, 2024. Coffee County has also pursued an I-24 industrial 'megasite,' which as of the available reporting is in site-preparation/zoning stages without a committed anchor tenant.
Note: This summary reports factually sourced project figures only. It does not forecast any effect on local real-estate values or appreciation.
- Project
- Little Leaf Farms Tennessee greenhouse campus
- Developer / Owner
- Little Leaf Farms (CEO Paul Sellew); greenhouse builder VB (Netherlands)
- Location
- Manchester Industrial Park, Coffee County, TN
- Investment
- Nearly $75 million
- Jobs
- 318 new jobs over 5 years
- Campus size
- 215 acres total; 40 acres of greenhouses initially (option to expand to 80)
- Product
- Hydroponic packaged leafy greens (baby lettuce), year-round CEA
- Announced
- June 30, 2025
- Construction start
- Summer 2025
- Anticipated opening
- Fall 2026
- Status
- Under construction (as of mid-2026)
- Significance
- Company's 3rd campus; billed as largest indoor leafy-greens facility in North America
What's New to Eat, Drink & Shop in Manchester
Updated August 2026Manchester's recent food-and-drink additions cluster on the historic downtown square and along the Hillsboro Boulevard corridor near I-24. Arrivals since 2025 include a steakhouse, two coffee concepts, a food-truck-turned-storefront, a restaurant in the former Oak Restaurant space, a Panera and a Jimmy John's, with a Dairy Queen and a Wawa in the works.
Bakery-cafe on Hillsboro Boulevard, the first Panera location in Manchester. It serves soups, salads, sandwiches and bakery items, and opened at 6 a.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Restaurant · opened April 30, 2026
Family-owned sandwich shop at 2526 Hillsboro Blvd serving made-to-order subs for pickup and delivery. It opened on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, following several months of construction.
Restaurant · opened April 8, 2026
Brick-and-mortar restaurant on Manchester's downtown square from the local couple behind the Heaven in Your Mouth food truck. The storefront is their move from the truck into a permanent dining room.
Restaurant · opened October 2025
American steakhouse on the downtown square at 119 S Irwin St from Chef Brett Binninger-Schwartz, a Season 21 Hell's Kitchen finalist, and his wife Ashley. It serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Restaurant · opened September 2025
Sit-down coffee bar on Manchester's historic downtown square, opened by Renee Holt. It serves coffee and espresso drinks alongside pastries.
Coffee · opened August 2025
Drive-thru coffee stand at 22 Kimberly Lane, just off I-24 near the Hillsboro Boulevard corridor. The menu covers specialty coffee, infused energy drinks, teas, smoothies and shakes.
Coffee · opened summer 2025
Restaurant opened by longtime restaurateurs Bill and Laura Medley in the former Oak Restaurant space in Manchester.
Restaurant · opened February 2025
Dairy Queen under construction on Woodbury Highway, developed by Jaie Damron of Tullahoma with Atlas Construction as the builder. Crews broke ground in late July 2026 and the build was estimated to take about five months.
Restaurant · under construction as of July 2026
Convenience store and food retailer planned for Manchester as part of Wawa's entry into Tennessee. Manchester is among roughly 20 Tennessee sites the chain has under contract; no local opening date has been announced. Wawa stores sell made-to-order hoagies, built-to-order coffee and bakery items.
Grocery / Food hall · site under contract; opening date not announced
Why People Love Manchester
Neighborhoods & areas in Manchester
Manchester Quick Facts
Figures reviewed July 2026. We pull current, address-level comparables before any offer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Manchester?
The median home price in Manchester is approximately $325,000, with homes ranging from $240,000 - $470,000+.
How far is Manchester from Nashville?
Manchester is approximately About 64-65 miles via I-24 W; roughly 1 hour to downtown Nashville in light traffic, longer during weekday Nashville/Murfreesboro rush hours. Murfreesboro is roughly the halfway point. from downtown Nashville. Exact commute time depends on traffic and your specific destination.
What's it like living in Manchester, TN?
Manchester is the seat of Coffee County, a town of roughly 12,000–14,000 people on I-24 best known as the home of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival a... It's commonly a fit for Buyers seeking lower home prices than the Nashville metro core and Commuters comfortable with an hour-plus drive on I-24.
What are the popular neighborhoods or areas in Manchester?
Areas commonly searched in Manchester include Forest Mill / Ragsdale, Manchester South, Bryan Mill / Mud Creek, Baucom, Spring House Estates (new construction), Stonehenge by Ole South (new construction, near Old Stone Fort). Each offers a different balance of price, amenities, and lifestyle, and we can pull recent comparable sales so you decide what fits.
Who handles real estate in Manchester, TN?
The Will Johnson Team (eXp Realty) works Manchester regularly — a 5.0-rated team on Google and Zillow, RealTrends Verified 2026, licensed in Tennessee since 2013, and quoted as an expert source by CBS MoneyWatch and Bottom Line Personal. Call 615-265-1000 — the first conversation carries no commitment.
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About the authors
By Will Johnson & The Will Johnson Team
Will Johnson leads The Will Johnson Team at eXp Realty, serving buyers and sellers across Middle Tennessee — Manchester, Nashville, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Sumner County, Brentwood, Franklin, Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro and the surrounding communities. A U.S. Army veteran who served 14 years and rose to the rank of Major, and a former ICU nurse and nurse anesthetist (CRNA) who graduated with a 4.0 from MTSA, he has been licensed in Tennessee since 2013 (license #330494); as of 2026 the team has closed $27.7 million in volume across 64 transactions. The team holds a 5.0 rating on Google and Zillow, is RealTrends Verified 2026, has been featured as an expert source by CBS MoneyWatch and Bottom Line Personal, and can be reached at 615-265-1000.
Equal Housing Opportunity · Licensed in Tennessee and regulated by the Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TN #330494) · The Will Johnson Team is affiliated with eXp Realty · This page is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.